Beadle's Dime Library No. 263 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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Who went, and what befell them on the way will be seen a little later in this chronicle, CHAPTER XXV. S$ FROM CAPTAIN DIAMOND, It was evening and Mr. S. Jerome, alias Diamond sat alone in hisroom. He was out- wardly calm, as he always was, except when one of two persons settled heavily upon him, and as he smoked complacently his diamond sparkled in the old way. While be was thus engaged the door opened and some one entered. He looked up and saw Iron-Armed Abe, but he showed no surprise and did not stir. The hunchback calmly closed the door, ad- yanced to the table and sat down facing St. Jerome. He did not speak, but, leaning his el- bows on the table, stared at him in grim silence. It seemed remarkably Menge to see dead] enemies take such a course, t they had al- ways been peculiarly situated toward each other, St. Jerome did not stop smoking, and the ser- pent’s eye giittered hostilely, but patiently. “Weil, King Diamond,” said Abe af last, “‘we meet again.” ‘* Undoubtedly,” ‘*Time deals gently with us; knife, revolver and <lisease pass us by.” **'Yes,” sullenly answered Diamon:), ‘‘Every thing bas an end, and one of these days one of us will go off life’s stage. The end is near!” Diamond moved restlessly and thought of The Wild. **IT have been looking into your present scheme, King Diamond; that which took you ’ from the City of the Desert, and I find it to be a game for a million dollars. But what a mil- lion dollars can amount to in your estimation, with the City of the Desert under your thumb you perhaps know; I don’t.” é ‘‘What are you talking about?’ Diamond brusquely asked. “The Templeton million and your attempt to deprive the lawful heiress of her own, ore than that I don’t know, I have not been able to gs all the pons of your game; but, judging y that episode at your desert kingdom, you’re in dead earnest.” ‘‘Bah!” said Diamond, contemptuously. ‘‘ The Templeton million is of no consequence,” _* Yet you are doing vour best to get it.” “fT am, or, rather, I have it already. T’ll have and keep it in spite of all California.” ‘* Personal spite, L suppose,” the hunchback observed. ‘‘ Well, go abead; it'll all be one when I foreclose on you.” Diamond, pares at bis long mustache and scowled blackly at his enemy, and the serpent’s eye glanced with increased brilliancy. __ “Why do you persist in following me year after year?’ he morosely demanded, ‘ Will you never be satisfied? My men at the desers town call you lron-Armed Abe, the Destroyer. You have slain many of their fellows. Why? In what way do youstrike me?” . ‘*] show you my power,” was the somber re- ply; ‘‘ I sbow you that when I see fit I can crush you like fhe vile wretch youare. Years ago I said a quick death was too good an end for you. I swore you should suffer as you made her suffer, and I bave kept my word. I swore to kill you at the end, and I have kept myself near you to remind you of your approaching fate. I have been your shadow; I have gone where you went, appearing often when least expected, and always like a ghost at the ban- quet; some day I.shall appear and take your life, King Diamond!” | he younger man brushed his hand nervously across bis forehead as though a cold sweat hovy- ered there. ¥Y ‘You are a demon!” he exclaimed. The Hercules smiled darkly. **T am the avenger of a foul wrong,” he said. Captain Diamond rested his elbows on the table and his face within his hands, while the serpent’s eye, dimly visible between his wrists, was like a thing in ambush. **Do you bear a charmed life?” he demanded. os ¢ have tried for years to kill you—always in vain, The hunchback coolly drew a revolver and passed it over the table. ‘* Now is vour time.” be said, But Captain Diamond shoved it back with a perceptible shiver. ‘You know you are safe,” he said. + ee 1 ORO re os Qe — me ee we ee OE _ ee ee - Ne! PF ROE BE OT NS A Patten SS OS FF rg ee a Spee ee Te ee ‘In other words I know wherein lies the weak- ness of my Samson,” Abe laughed. ‘“ But, enough of this; I only dropped in for a moment to help you pass an otherwise dull hour. Vi go now, but even when invisible I will be near you, While life lasts I shall watch over you, King Diamond!” The strange man grimaced in a fashion meant to be mirthful, and after a series of contortions, managed to get outof theroom, Before closing the door be paused to Jook back with a gloating smile, but Diamond still sat by the table, his face covered by his hands, He heard the door close, but it was half an hour before he stirred. Finally he lifted his head as though just arousing from sleep. **Gone!” be muttered, buskily; ‘‘gone! Heis as inexorable a master as Mephistopheles, but I am unlike Faust in that Ihave never bad any gain myself. Gain? My life bas been a curse since—since—” He arose and began pacing the room with long, nervous strides, e was thorougbly over- thrown mentally, for the time, but except for the twitching of his muscles bis cold face gave no sign, ** Accursed! accursed!” He muttered the word not Jess than a dozen times as he strode back and forth, but he finally returned to his chair, lit another cigar and be- gan to smoke in the old way. Shortly after there was a knock at the door, and when he bade the payne enter there ap- peared a man who looked as though he had had an encounter with a railroad train and got the worst of it, Besides a natural roughness, rag- gedness and eccentric disorder of hair and beard, he was now patched up with court-plaster in divers places and one arm was in a sling. Diamond stared in amazement, ‘Who the dickens are you?” he demanded, *“T’m a lost an’ undone critter,” was the mournful reply, as the fellow sunk into a chair. ‘‘ Fm a victim, a martyr, a terrible example.” **Of insanity or rum?” ** Neither, your honor. I see yer don’t know me, but I’m Jake, an’ I was Ben Bolter’s best friend. Poor Ben! He's gone on ahead, your honor,” . Diamond had grown interested. *“ What do you mean?” he demanded. ‘* Ben Bolter is deader’n a baked flea. And—” ‘*Come to the point, man. What has hap- pened? Whoare you? Waste no words.” ‘Pm Jake, an’ it was at my ranch you hired ther crazy critter shut up. I was Ben’s right bower. Still, ther crazy critter got away.” Diamond sat staring in a frightened way, but be managed to call for particulars and the story was told, Then he knew the madwoman had really escaped and he looked so wild with rage that Jake edged further around the table. ‘*1’m glad Ben Bolter is dead,” he said, at last, ‘‘ for be ran Wholly against my orders in m »lest- ing that doctor. But this crazy woman; is there a hope she perished in the fire?” ‘* No; I’ve see’d her sence.” ‘“‘Ha! Where?’ **Furder south; out on Rattlepan Plain, I went that way when my ole neighbors riz ag’in’ me, an’ thar I see’d suihin’ kinder quar. I was liyin’ in a bit o’ timmer when I chanced ter look out an’ see’d ther v. ild critter clawin’ it over ther sand in a lively way. I thought I see’d my chance an’ laid my plans ter scoop her in fur you, but afore I left kiver I tuck a look around. esult, L see’d three hossmen ridin’ on t’other side o’ ther timber, an’ when I sve’d them I jest laid down flat an’ never stirred ontil they was gove from sight. I.knowed ’em.” “Who were they?” ‘One was an ole. Western rover they call Griff, though he’s lived peaceably by ther water ther last ten year; ther second wasa young chap I didn’t know, while ther third was that same doctor.” ‘‘By Judas! they were after the madwo- man,” 4s i don’t know what else they could be ar- ter. Diamond’s thoughts ran quickly. He mapped out his course, forming a plan that needed two or three stout rascals. He looked at Jake, Plainly, that dilapidated wretch was not fit for setvice. He must be nade to tell all he knew and then paid to hold his tongue. This was the work of only a short time, and then Jake went away with his pockets full of jingling coin. ‘““T must take to the war-path aguin,” said Diamond with energy. ‘‘I must take the mid- night train end see the sun rise on Rattlepan Plain. If Griff and the others get that mad- woman it is ten to one Iron-Armed Abe stum- bles upon her, and then—” He finished the sentence with a shiver and oe found pen and ink and sat down by the ‘*T must write to her before I go. I hate to leave San Francisco just now, but it will not be for a great while, and the case of Alton vs, Templeton will not take any great stride while Rube Leyden is away. Be that as it may I must trust to ber shrewdness if there is any new Sia eS ee and it’s pretty sure she won’t give up the T+mpletoo million tamely. He wrote bis letter hurriedly, and then aris-_ : WA io 2 SE eat aa Aogt mags Iron-Armed Abe, the Hunchback Destrover. —— ee ee em ——- = — ing, dressed himself in rougher clothes and pre- pared for work on the desert. He went well armed and fitted us a veteran knew how, and his room was soon vacant, He took the midnight train as he bad said, and though he seemed to be alone, there were two other men who never lost sight of bim, and when hé left the train at the end of its trip these men accompanied him. St. Jerome did not seem wholly at ease; even his men noticed that he looked over his shoulder frequently, as though afraid some one was fol- lowing him, but they bad never heard of Iron- Armed Abe, These men had agreed to find horses for the trio when the journey by rail was ended and they kept their word, Good animals were secured and the three set out without unneces- sary pa S When the sun rose they were on the Rattlepan Plain, as Diamond had planned, but neither The Wild nor Griff’s party was in sight. Diamond had not expected to see them; many miles might be traversed before they were overtaken, and they settled grimly down to their work. But as they went on the leader never failed to look over his shoulder pow and then as though he expected to see a pursuer. CHAPTER XXVI. IN THE LAKE-BED. THE same sunrise found another party pur- suing its way some miles southeast of the one last noticed. Like the first, it was composed of three persons. They were Griff, Doctor Rube, and Ned Boxfield. The reader is already aware that Diamond's belief that they were searching for The Wild was incorrect. They did not suspect she was on Rattlepan Plain; they even thought she had perished in the ruins of Jake’s house; © their errand was of an altogether different nature. As we have before said, their faces were toward the City of the Desert, and from the way in which they pusbed on they bade fair to arrive there in due time if Griff proved equal to the demands of the occasion as guide, As for Ned Boxfield, he was with the party simply because A. Beesinger, attorney-at law, bad decided that the junior did not attend to business properly. As a result, the embryo firm had been dissolved in its genesis and Box- field was his own man, é He had thus far proved a valuablecompanion on the trail. ‘His unfailing good-humor was so infectious that even Griff forgot his “ doubts ” and something like friendship sprung up be- tween them. ‘It’s a plant I shall seek to cultivate daily,” Ned observed to Doctor Rube, “Let me touch the better nature of this grizzled doubter and itv’ll goa long ways with Norola. J] bear this always in mind; hence, observe the respect and docility with which I address Griff; Esquire.” They journeyed on through the day and ap- proached the line between California and Ari- zona as rapidly as was deemed good for their horse fi-sh.. Mt. St. Bernardino bad been left behind and they were in that portion of the first-rentioned State where so many “dry lakes” are to be found; in other words, the beds of what wer@ once lakes, but from which, with the eccentricity of Western streams, the water had gone previous to any recorded bis- ry. In one of these lake-beds they halted for the night, The weather was not so hot as they bad reason to expect, and while it held that way Griff preferred to keep his regular bours. They lay down to sleep at an early bour and without any fear of molestation, They were out of the track of the fierce Apache and the road-agent could have no call to be ranging about the dry-lake country. Dector Robe fell asleep easily. Several hours passed before he again awoke, but when he unclosed his eyes be found himself in a mood little suited for further sleep. The moon had arisen and was flooding the scene with silver light, and it was so novel tbat he arose, lit his pipe and strolled ewan. The lake-bed was by NO means level. In, stead, it bad much the same appearance as the higher land except that it was trecless, Hills were numerous and from ten to fifty feet bigh, while every form and species of rock known to the region were there in abundance. The doctor made his way to the top of one of the hills and sat down with bis back to a rock. The scene around him was a peculiarly in- teresting one. The moonlight touched the hills and rocks whitely on one side and threw the other into block shadow, and with this checker- board-like view extending far away the doctor sat and looked and smoked with interest, He was still there when be saw somethin move in this waste of desolation. He looked more earnestly and the object assumed shape; though some distance away he believed he was safe in pronouncing it a borseman. For perhaps a half-minute it was visible and then it disappeared bebind a hill. He waited in vain for it to reappear. _Avain he looked and a second ioe became visible, precisely like the first, following just (ECO) JOOKS EON AMLCE . ’ > bi -_* Sak t LI}